Afghanistan

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the operational impact of 5,000 infantry personnel being determined unfit for operations in Afghanistan.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: As at 1 October 2009, just under 89 per cent of infantry strength was classified as deployable. This figure includes those personnel who have some limitations placed on the roles they can perform on operations.
	This means approximately 2,650 personnel who are unable to deploy, but the vast majority of whom are contributing to military capability in supporting roles in home locations. A little under half of these service men and women are unable to deploy for non-medical reasons, such as compassionate or disciplinary circumstances, or because they are under the age of 18.
	We continue to monitor the situation closely and have arrangements in place to support all our personnel suffering injury or illness to ensure, wherever possible, their return to full duty.
	It should be noted that all infantry units deploy on operations at the required strength for the tasks they are asked to undertake. Units are given tasks that reflect their actual manning levels, or are reinforced from regular or reserve units in order to meet specific tasks.

Airports: Heathrow

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have received about the economic benefits of permitting flights to Heathrow Airport between 11.30 pm and 6 am.

Lord Adonis: Consistent with the Government's aim to bear down on night noise (as set out in the 2003 White Paper-The Future of Air Transport), there have been restrictions on night flights at Heathrow for many years. The current restrictions (which cover the period October 2006 until October 2012) seek to strike a fair balance between the protection of local communities from excessive aircraft noise levels at night and the provision of air services at night where they are of benefit of the national, regional or local economy.
	Details about the economic benefits of permitting night flights formed part of the regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the June 2006 decision document setting the noise restrictions for the 2006-12 period. This can be accessed on the department's website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues /nighthgs/tflyingrestrictionsathea2939.pdf.

Anguilla

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Government of Anguilla have not received their European Development Fund tranche 3 payment, due by 31 December 2009; and what steps they are taking to ensure it is paid.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The European Commission has authorised the disbursement of funds for Anguilla's third tranche of budget support under European Development Fund (EDF) 9 for €2.31 million. Anguilla should receive the funds shortly. There is no set timetable for the disbursement of EDF. Overseas Territories can request disbursement of each tranche of funding once they have implemented the conditions set out in the financing agreement between the European Commission and the territory. Although Anguilla's original request was sent in April 2009, the Commission did not receive all the associated paperwork from Anguilla until early January 2010.
	The Minister for the Overseas Territories wrote to the Commission in July 2009 noting the delays in the disbursement of funds under EDF and urging the Commission to expedite their assessment of funding requests. Officials remain in regular touch with the Commission about the disbursement of funds.

Armed Forces: Compensation Scheme

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking regarding the relative levels of claims made by injured service personnel through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and claims made against the Ministry of Defence through civil litigation.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), introduced in 2005, consists of a lump sum payment and is based on a tariff of injuries to take account of the pain and suffering associated with an injury, in recognition of service personnel's sacrifice on the nation's behalf. For the more seriously injured, it also provides an income stream payable on discharge, a guaranteed income payment, that is tax free and index linked for life.
	The changes made to the lump sum payment in 2008 make the top awards more generous than the equivalent general damages available from the courts.
	Injured personnel who receive compensation from the no-fault AFCS are also able to bring common law claims where negligence occurs.
	The provisions of the AFCS, including how it compares with civilian schemes, are being reviewed as part of the review of the AFCS, 22 October 2009, (Official Report, col. WS 69-70) which is currently under way.

Armed Forces: Funding

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans exist for the funding of (a) the Army Cadet Force, (b) University Officer Training Corps, and (c) University Air Squadrons.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Government remain committed to the Army Cadet Force and the University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadrons. However, difficult choices have to be made to focus resources on areas contributing directly to our mission in Afghanistan. Whilst the level of funding for the Army Cadet Force has been reduced until April 2010, it is anticipated that funding will be reinstated in the next financial year. Funding for the University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadrons, in line with all defence spending, is currently being reviewed, but no decisions in respect of these organisations have been finalised.

Aviation: Air Crew

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many service air crew with current or recent flying practice have been retired from flying duties on medical grounds during the past 12 months.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The number of service aircrew who were medically discharged from the Armed Forces during 2008 (the latest available data) are as follows:
	
		
			 Service Number of personnel medically discharged (rounded to the nearest 5) 
			 Royal Navy Less than 5 
			 Army 15 
			 Royal Air Force 5 
		
	
	It is not currently possible to give figures for service personnel who have been medically downgraded from flying duties but remain in service.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether arrangements have been made by the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong to confirm with Chinese authorities in Hong Kong whether ethnic minority applicants for British citizenship are citizens of China; and whether British Nationals (Overseas) applying for British citizenship are required to produce their own letter from Chinese authorities confirming non-acquisition of Chinese citizenship.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The British Consulate-General in Hong Kong has reached an agreement whereby it will liaise directly with the Hong Kong immigration department (HKID) to verify whether applicants applying under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act had registered or naturalised, or whether they had an automatic claim to Chinese citizenship. The details of any applicant who does not have a clear automatic entitlement will be sent to HKID for a full check.

Chiefs of Staff

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what lump sum payments have been made to each Chief of the General Staff and to each Chief of the Defence Staff on their retirement since 1997; and, in each case, whether the payment was enhanced for any reason.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Former Chiefs of the General Staff and Chiefs of the Defence Staff were awarded terminal grants and pensions commensurate with their rank and length of service in accordance with the rules of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. The amounts in payment and the exact amount of the lump sum awarded are considered personal data and are therefore protected from disclosure under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	From financial year 2001-2001 the Ministry of Defence, has, in line with Her Majesty's Treasury financial reporting instructions, disclosed pension forecast information, in bands of £5,000, for the Chief of the General Staff and the Chief of the Defence Staff in the departmental resource accounts section of the annual report and accounts. This information has been extracted and tabulated below:
	
		
			 Name Post Financial Year1 TAP2 £ thousands Lump Sum3 £ thousands 
			 Lord Peter Inge CDS Remuneration reports not produced pre 2000 
			 Lord Charles Guthrie CDS/CGS 2001-02 Consent to disclose withheld 
			 Lord Michael Boyce CDS 2003-04 85-904 Not Published5 
			 Lord Michael Walker CDS/CGS 2006-07 100-105 305-310 
			 Sir Jock Stirrup6 CDS 2008-09 125-130 375-380 
			 Sir Roger Wheeler CGS 2000-01 55-60 Not Published5 
			 Sir Michael Jackson CGS 2006-07 75-80 230-235 
			 Sir Richard Dannatt7 CGS 2008-09 80-85 250-255 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 Last financial year in post.
	2 TAP =Total accrued pension at retirement.
	3 The lump sum is the terminal grant paid under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.
	4 Figures for Lord Michael Boyce, CDS 2001-03 present, are taken from the most recent publication of forecasts.
	5 Disclosure of the lump sum was not part of the Treasury reporting requirement before financial year 2003-04.
	6 Figures for Sir Jock Stirrup, CDS 2006-present, are taken from the most recent publication of forecasts.
	7 Figures for Sir Richard Dannatt, CGS 2006-09, are taken from the most recent publication of forecasts.
	Figures based on the actual pensions in payment have not been provided, as this would require further consent to disclose from the individuals concerned.

China

The Archbishop of York: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of China over the 15-year sentence given to Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti in Xinjiang in December 2009, having been convicted of "instigating separatism and revealing state secrets", following reports about inconsistencies in the court case, and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's conclusions that he had originally been detained "solely for his religious faith and his religious activities".

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The case of Alimujiang Yimiti was last raised at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2009 as part of an individual case list. At that time we urged the Chinese to consider freeing Alimujiang, and to ensure he had access to a defence lawyer. The Chinese replied then that Alimujiang was being detained in Kashgar Detention Centre, that his physical conditions were normal and that he enjoyed the rights to family visits and to hire a defence lawyer. We will continue to monitor his case and raise it wherever appropriate.

Climate Change: Academic Papers

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of how many peer-reviewed academic papers have been published in recognised scientific journals in the past 10 years which deny the existence of anthropogenic climate change.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: DECC has made no such estimate.

Cycling

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis railway stations were chosen to be Cycle Points; which organisations were consulted about the choices; and whether the Department for Transport's cycle rail integration team is taking forward the implementation of those projects.

Lord Adonis: The Department for Transport consulted with Network Rail on the Cycle Point concept and asked them to identify 10 suitable locations for building a Cycle Point. Stations were selected as candidates for Cycle Points based on various criteria including cycle demand, footfall, how it would complement other cycle initiatives and to ensure a fair geographical spread. Network Rail, along with the relevant train operator, is continuing to work on the implementation of these schemes.

Cycling

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the capital cost of each of the proposed Cycle Points; what is the expected customer usage; and what are the planned opening dates.

Lord Adonis: We have not yet reached planning stage of all 10 Cycle Points announced on 28 September and so do not know the capital cost of each proposed scheme or the projected customer usage. Leeds Cycle Point, which is the first scheme to go ahead, will be built at a cost of £660,000. This will open in May 2010. It is envisaged that all 10 Cycle Points will be open within the next two years.

Cyprus: Property

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Apostolides v Orams on 19 January, no court outside the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus can in practice compel the eviction of someone from their house in Northern Cyprus, nor the demolition of the house.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: It is for the Court of Appeal to decide how the judgment should be enforced.

Energy: Carbon Capture and Storage

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2 December 2009 (WA 44), whether organisations other than Her Majesty's Government will be able to introduce carbon capture technology without their support or permission.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Any organisation is able to propose a carbon capture and storage project in the UK, subject to securing the necessary planning, safety and environmental consents.
	Large-scale CCS projects are currently expected to require government support since CCS is not yet economically and technically viable. We expect four commercial-scale CCS projects supported by government to be operational by 2020, and are planning on the basis that CCS will also be ready for wider deployment by 2020.

Energy: Fuel Poverty

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what definition the Department of Energy and Climate Change uses of fuel poverty; what changes to that definition there have been since the creation of that department; and whether they plan to change the definition.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 defines a fuel-poor person as one living on a lower income in a home which cannot be kept warm at reasonable cost.
	The most widely accepted definition of a fuel-poor household is one which needs to spend more than 10 per cent of its net income to heat its home to an adequate standard of warmth (usually 21 degrees for the main living area, and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms).
	There have been no changes to the definition of fuel poverty since the creation of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and there are no plans to review the definition.

EU: UK Official Staff

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number and quality of United Kingdom citizens applying for posts in European Union institutions compared with other member states.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Between 2005 and 2008, 4,118 UK citizens applied for the competitions to join EU institutions run by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). Of this number, 260 were successful (an average success rate of 6.31 per cent). This compares with a total of 282,615 applicants from all member states, of whom 12,387 were successful (an average success rate of 4.38 per cent).
	In recent years, due to EU enlargement, few EU Concours have been open to UK citizens. It is for the EPSO to identify shortfalls in applicants from individual member states and to address this in its recruitment campaigns. The Government are co-operating with EPSO in its work in the UK.

Government Departments: Cars

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many ministerial cars are (a) more than 40 years old, (b) between 30 and 40 years old, (c) between 20 and 30 years old, (d) between 10 and 20 years old, (e) between 5 and 10 years old, and (f) less than 5 years old.

Lord Adonis: The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) provides transport for Ministers. All of the 80 cars used by GCDA for ministerial duties are less than five years old.

Gross Domestic Product

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the changes in gross domestic product in each of the last eight quarters (a) when first announced, and (b) at the latest revision.

Baroness Crawley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for Office for National Statistics, to Lord Moonie, dated 2 February 2010.
	As Director General of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary Question asking what were the changes in gross domestic product in each of the last eight quarters (a) when first announced, and (b) at the latest revision. [HL1695]
	For the last eight quarters, GDP when first announced, and at latest revision is as follows:
	
		
			  GDP when first announced GDP at the latest revision 
			 2008 Q1 0.4 0.7 
			 2008 Q2 0.2 -0.1 
			 2008 Q3 -0.5 -0.9 
			 2008 Q4 -1.5 -1.8 
			 2009 Q1 -1.9 -2.5 
			 2009 Q2 -0.8 -0.7 
			 2009 Q3 -0.4 -0.2 
			 2009 Q4 0.1 0.1

Gurkhas

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the forecast cost of providing pensions for Gurkhas at the same level as the Armed Forces Pension Scheme at 2010 prices.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The cost of equalising pensions for Gurkhas at the same level as the Armed Forces Pension Scheme has been estimated by the Government Actuary's Department at approximately £1.5 billion, at 2007 prices, comprising a one-off payment of £500 million and £50 million each year for 20 years. This would mostly apply to around 10 per cent of the retired Gurkha community, largely officers, where there is a more significant difference between the Gurkha Pension Scheme and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. In the majority of cases Gurkhas receive at least equivalent value from their pensions, due to the early age at which they can begin receiving payments, compared to those on Armed Forces Pension Scheme 75, or its predecessor.

Gurkhas

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was paid out under the Gurkha Pension Scheme in each year from 1973 to 2000; and what was the total paid out over those years.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The information is not available, as the annual amounts paid out under the Gurkha Pension Scheme are not separated out from overall Armed Forces Pension Scheme expenditure. In addition, the information cannot be reconstructed as the detailed historical data for this period are no longer available.

Hong Kong

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will instruct the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong not to ask a British National (Overseas) who wishes to register as a British citizen falsely to certify to Hong Kong authorities that he or she is a Chinese citizen and apply for a Hong Kong Chinese passport; and whether they will be responsible for any fines, legal expenses or prison sentence of any British national who suffers consequences under Hong Kong law because of representations made to the government of Hong Kong at the request of the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: With effect from 20 January 2010, the British Consulate-General (BCG) in Hong Kong has been liaising directly with Hong Kong immigration department, (HKID) in order to verify whether people applying for registration under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981 have Chinese citizenship. Prior to this, the BCG had been following instructions from HKID and advising 4B applicants that in order to obtain documentary evidence of not holding Chinese citizenship, they would have to apply for an HK special administrative region passport. If the application was rejected, because an applicant was not Chinese, or had not previously registered or naturalised as a Chinese citizen, they would be refunded their passport fee, and issued with a rejection letter.

Hong Kong

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong has had discussions with the Hong Kong immigration department since 13 January; if so, what matters were discussed; and what was the outcome.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: A meeting was held on 19 January 2010 between staff at the British Consulate-General (BCG), Hong Kong and Hong Kong immigration department (HKID). It was called at the request of HKID, to discuss procedures for those British Nationals (Overseas) (BN(O)s) who wished to apply for registration as British citizens under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981, and who needed to obtain documentary evidence that they did not hold Chinese citizenship. The original procedure advised by HKID was for 4B applicants to apply for an Hong Kong special administrative region passport. If these applicants had not registered or naturalised as Chinese citizens, nor had an automatic claim to Chinese citizenship, their application would be rejected and they would be issued with a full refund for the passport fee. The rejection letter would serve as documentary evidence in their application for registration as a British citizen under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981. After four days of using this procedure, HKID requested that it be changed. Both sides agreed to simplify the process, with the BCG liaising directly with HKID to verify whether 4B applicants had registered or naturalised, or whether they had an automatic claim to Chinese citizenship.

Housing

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the houses built using the £13 billion allocated through the affordable housing programme were partly funded by contributions from other bodies such as housing associations.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: As a general principle, the Homes and Communities Agency provides only a proportion of the total cost of a housing scheme funded through its affordable housing programme. The remainder is funded from registered social landlords' own reserves, private finance or other sources. In earlier years, some schemes were exceptionally funded for their full costs, such as specialist supported housing schemes (eg housing for frail elderly; people with drug and/or alcohol abuse).
	There is no fixed amount of subsidy; the agency looks for value for money from the investment. There are four main criteria:
	value-in terms of total public subsidy per home and per person housed;quality-judged using the HCA design and quality standards, and rewarding quality above the minimum standards set for all projects;deliverability-with particular concern for planning status; andpolicy fit-judged by fit with national, regional and local strategies.

International Maritime Organisation

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request meetings with other member states of the International Maritime Organisation and relevant scientists to discuss oceanic acidification; and, if so, when.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Defra has no current plans to raise ocean acidification in the International Maritime Organisation; however, the Government have recently put forward a proposal for an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on ocean ecosystems which includes the impacts of ocean acidification.
	Defra, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and DECC are jointly funding a £12 million, five-year research programme on ocean acidification. At this time, links have been made with the German Research Programme, BIOACID, and the European Programme, EPOCA, and we hope to link with more programmes internationally as research progresses.

Northern Ireland Office: Official Cars

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of providing official cars for (a) Ministers, and (b) officials, in the Northern Ireland Office in the past 12 months.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: I refer the noble Lord to a Written Ministerial Statement regarding the cost of ministerial cars made by my noble friend, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 16 July 2009 (Official Report, col. WS114).
	The cost of providing official cars from the Government Car and Despatch Agency to Northern Ireland Office Ministers in 2008-09 was £286,200.
	The cost of providing official cars from the Government Car and Despatch Agency to Northern Ireland Office officials in 2008-09 was £71,769.

Ofcom

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take if Ofcom does not take action against radio and television providers which do not comply with the licence condition to supply equality monitoring data.

Lord Davies of Oldham: This is a matter for Ofcom and there is no provision for Government to intervene.

Prisons: Radio Broadcast

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have decided not to renew licences for the broadcast of music and radio programmes in certain areas of prisons; if so, which areas of which prisons; what the consequent annual savings are expected to be; and what assessment they have made of the likely effects of that decision.

Lord Bach: The licences in question apply to the playing of copyright music by any method outside the home rather than the playing of radio programmes. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will not be buying licences to enable the playing of music in prisons. Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 1/2010 (available in the Library of the House) instructs prisons that music must not be played in staff offices, rest rooms, canteens, prisoner work places and prisoner recreational areas from 25 January 2010. Licences are not required for the playing of music in prisoner residential areas, for educational purposes and for religious worship.
	Figures for the consequent savings are not available as final quotations have not been supplied by the licensing bodies, but indications were that the cost would be at least £200,000 a year.
	NOMS recognised that the restrictions would be unpopular, but it was not considered an appropriate use of public funds to purchase licences to allow the playing of music in all areas of prisons. Governors have discretion to purchase limited licences to meet specific local needs, and the impact is being monitored.

Roads: Construction

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what road construction projects in England costing over £10 million (a) are under way, and (b) have been approved; what is the expected cost of each such project; and what are their planned start and finish dates.

Lord Adonis: The two tables below provide information on Highways Agency and local authority major road schemes costing over £10 million which are currently under way (under construction), together with their planned start and completion dates.
	There are currently no approved Highways Agency schemes which are not already under construction. The local major schemes listed have been granted full approval which under the department's local major scheme approval process allows construction to commence. There are other local major schemes that are an earlier stage within the approval process but have yet to reach full approval.
	
		
			 Table 1-Highways Agency Schemes 
			 Name of Scheme Status-(a) Under Construction or (b) Approved Total Estimated Scheme Cost (£ million) (2) Start Date or Expected Start Date Expected Completion Date 
			 A3 Hindhead Improvement (a) Under Construction 371 Jan-07 Summer-11 
			 M1 J25-28 (a) Under Construction 345 (4) Oct-07 Oct-10 
			 M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge Roundabout) (a) Under Construction 77 Mar-08 Jun-10 
			 A421 Bedford to M1 Junction 13 (a) Under Construction 201-231 Oct-08 Dec-10 
			 A1 Dishforth to Leeming Improvement (A1 Dishforth to Barton) (a) Under Construction 314-340 Mar-09 Spring 2012 
			 M25 J16-23 Widening (Section 1) (a) Under Construction 697 (3) May-09 Summer-12 
			 A46 Newark-Widmerpool Improvement (a) Under Construction 357-408 Jun-09 Spring-12 
			 M25 J27-30 Widening (Section 4) (a) Under Construction 583 (3) Jul-09 Summer-12 
			 M1 J10-13 Managed Motorways (a) Under Construction (1) 412-504 Jan-10 Spring-13 
		
	
	Notes:
	(1) M1 Junction 10-13 Managed Motorways scheme is being progressed as two work packages to be delivered on different timescales:
	Mainline Works-to be undertaken within the existing highway boundary; and
	Junction Works-which require statutory processes including Public Inquiry.
	The Mainline Works have moved into the Construction Phase. The Junction Works are planned to start in early 2011.
	(2) For schemes which have been progressed through the project lifecycle (Options-Development-Construction), scheme costs are presented as range estimates approved prior to the scheme starting Construction. For earlier schemes which were developed before the introduction of the project lifecycle, scheme costs reflect the latest ministerial approved budget.
	(3) The two M25 schemes are privately financed through a DBFO (Design, Build, Finance and Operate) contract. The latest ministerial approved budgets given in the table were approved in 2007. The schemes were authorised to proceed to construction in May 2009 with capitalisation costs, based on the financial close model at the time, of £563 million and £369 million for Sections 1 (J16-23) and 4 (J27-30) respectively.
	(4) M1 J25-28 excludes controlled motorway costs of £13 million
	
		
			 Table 2-Local Authority Major Road Schemes 
			 Scheme Name Local Authority Total Estimated Scheme Cost (£ million) [See Note 1] Date Scheme Commenced Expected Completion Date 
			 Hemsworth to A1 Link Road Wakefield MBC 24.257 11 February 2008 November 2009 
			 B1115 Stowmarket Relief Road, Suffolk Suffolk CC 17.700 24 June 2008 June 2010 
			 Rugby Western Relief Road, Warwickshire Warwickshire CC 55.000 20 August 2007 December 2010 
			 Markham Vale (Markham Employment Growth Zone), Derbyshire Derbyshire CC 29.977 30 April 2007 Summer 2012 
			 A1073 Spalding to Eye Improvement Scheme, Lincolnshire/Peterborough Lincolnshire CC and Peterborough City Council 79.099 1 April 2008 September 2010 
			 Selly Oak Relief Road, Birmingham Birmingham City Council 63.734 15 October 2007 Summer 2013 
			 M4 Junction 11 (Green Park Improvements) and Mereoak Roundabout, Reading Reading Borough Council 65.501 28 April 2008 Summer 2015 
			 A34 Alderley Edge Bypass, Cheshire Cheshire East Borough Council 51.648 15 August 2008 Spring 2011 
			 A628 Cudworth and West Green Bypass, Barnsley Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council 21.261 10 November 2008 August 2010 
			 A353/A354 Weymouth Relief Road, Dorset Dorset County Council 89.271 22 August 2008 Summer 2011 
			 A4123/A461 Junction Improvement, Burn Tree, West Midlands Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 12.280 7 September 2009 Summer 2011 
			 Carlisle Northern Development Route, Cumbria-PFI Scheme Cumbria County Council 176.000 19 October 2009 Spring 2012 
			 Hall Lane Area Improvement Scheme, Liverpool Liverpool City Council 18.707 19 October 2009 Summer 2011 
			 East Kent Access Phase 2, Kent Kent County Council 87.000 1 October 2009 Winter 2012 
			 Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road, Kent Kent County Council 34.228 2 November 2009 Winter 2011 
		
	
	Notes
	(1) Total estimated scheme costs are based on local authority current estimated costs (Quarter 3, 2009/10)

Roads: Harlow Bypass

Lord Hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will fund a northern relief road around Harlow; and, if so, when.

Lord Adonis: Government funding for local and regional transport infrastructure has been delegated to the regions through the regional funding allocation process.
	Two associated schemes for a northern relief road, northern bypass and new M11 junction for Harlow were proposed by Essex County Council and Hertfordshire County Council for funding from the Regional Funding Allocation. However, the regional funding allocation advice provided by the East of England Regional Assembly to Government concluded that a northern bypass for Harlow was not a regional priority at present.
	The region has just commenced a series studies for Delivering a Sustainable Transport System, including one that will consider longer-term proposals for Harlow amongst other locations.

Roads: Harlow Bypass

Lord Hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations have been made by local residents and businesses in favour of a northern relief road around Harlow.

Lord Adonis: Her Majesty's Government are not aware of any formal representations made by local residents and businesses in favour of a northern relief road around Harlow.

Roads: Harlow Bypass

Lord Hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a southern bypass around Harlow on the communities of Roydon, Jack's Hatch, Broadley Common, Nazeing, Epping Green, Epping Upland and Stanstead Bury, including the impact of increased traffic flows and loss of green space.

Lord Adonis: The Government are not aware of any current proposals for a Harlow bypass to the south of the town.

Roads: Harlow Bypass

Lord Hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a southern Harlow bypass on (a) the three Sites of Special Scientific Interest, (b) the Lea Valley Regional Park, (c) a listed park and gardens, (d) part of Epping Forest, and (e) four Wildlife Sites, within the proposed area.

Lord Adonis: The Government are not aware of any current proposals for a Harlow bypass to the south of the town.

Roads: Litter

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of litter picking on the roads for which the Highways Agency is responsible.

Lord Adonis: Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on the Highways Agency to remove litter from motorways in England. Responsibility for removing litter from the all-purpose trunk road network, with the exception of roads managed by a design, build, finance operate company lies with local authorities.
	Litter collection on motorways is one of the numerous duties carried out as part of the Highway's Agency's routine maintenance function and costs for individual activities are not recorded separately. It is therefore not possible to provide costs for litter collection.

Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has had with (a) HM Treasury, and (b) other ministers, on the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 since the creation of his department.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and other Ministers on a wide range of topics, including the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000.